Vacations are a wonderful and
necessary part of any career, but returning from a vacation can often
feel like a surprising
slap in the face. Pent-up demand for your time, emergencies, crises
and the simple act of getting back to work can feel so foreign after
even a few days away. So, while it is important to take vacations to
prevent career burnout, it is also important to put some thought into
returning from vacation.
Take One Day
The best tack you can make when planning your vacation is to allow
at least one day before and after your actual vacation to decompress
and re-enter the real world. The day before departure can be stressful
enough as you pack and make final plans. Don't increase this stress
by trying to solve every major problem before getting on the plane.
This advice comes straight from experience. Before leaving on my
most recent vacation to Hawai'i, I spent the last day struggling
with DSL
problems at one of my client's offices. By the time I made it home
that evening, I was barely able to complete my packing before falling
into bed.
Allowing one day after you return from your vacation allows you to
re-adjust to any time changes and get your home and life back into
some order. There is laundry to do, food to buy, mail to sort and
bills to pay, so give yourself at least one day to get a handle
on these
issues before jumping back into your work life. It is human nature
to want to cram as much time into the actual vacation location as
possible but by leaving yourself a day at home on either end you
can keep the
restful feeling from crumbling too quickly.
Most importantly, don't let work know you are back until the day you
return to work. Even if you have allowed a weekend at the end of your
trip, if people know you are "in town" they might pepper
you with questions and ask for decisions before you ever set foot in
the office.
One sneaky way of getting back to work, without the hassles of interacting
with your co-workers, is to take a few moments to check email and
voicemail that might have arrived while you were away. Don't spend
your entire
weekend with this, but do a scan for the most critical issues. This
way, you won't be blind-sided by potential crises the moment you
walk in the door. Nothing can be more dis-heartening than returning
to the
office to an unforeseen crisis. Talk about a smack in the face.
Protect Yourself
Whatever you do, find some way to protect the rest and relaxation you
have gathered about you on vacation. Fretting over bills and money,
or worrying about personnel issues should not be your first thoughts.
Your goal is to ease back into your work life, while carrying with
you as much "mellow" as you can. This week, I have made a
point of wearing my newly purchased Aloha shirts to client calls, as
a way of sharing my vacation with my clients and reminding myself of
the great time I spent in Hawai'i. Share your stories and pictures
with your clients, even as you solve their problems. It will lighten
your days and provide much needed, non-technology conversation while
you work.
If you found something you particularly liked on your trip, locate
local sources, if possible. Having a shave ice or a Loco Moco (a surfer
concoction of rice, hamburger patty, brown gravy and a fried egg) while
in your own hometown is a great way to recall your adventures and regain
some peace of mind, even after a hard day at work. Travel should be
mind-expanding and invigorating, as well as restful. What new experiences
did you have? How can these experiences be used to improve your life
and work? Can you bring the "Aloha Spirit" into your work
life? How would it improve your career? You might be surprised just
how much of your vacation life you can retain once you return to work.
Planning your return from a vacation is just as important as planning
the vacation itself. Don't let the work world drag you back into
a deadening routine immediately. Use your vacation as a jumping
off point
to new ideas and new attitudes. The peace of mind, and the career
you preserve, might just be your own.
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